Category: devolution

Why devolution matters

Environment is a devolved issue. The administrations of Westminster, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have diverging preferences on how environmental policies should be decided once we leave the EU and how ambitious they should be.

How will UK environmental policy be coordinated post-Brexit? How will minimum standards be decided and by whom? Do devolved administrations have sufficient capacity and resources to develop, implement and enforce environmental policy? What are the implications for different sectors (including agriculture and fisheries, which are also devolved)?

Can a new governance framework be created once we leave the EU that is accepted by all four nations and effectively delivers policy goals?